Expelled Xi Critic Hails HK's Fight For Rights

A retired Communist Party school teacher who was recently expelled from the party and stripped of her pension has told RTHK that she admired Hong Kong people’s fight to safeguard their rights and freedoms.

Cai Xia also said that she’s pleased with her expulsion, because she had wanted to quit after President Xi Jinping turned the party into a body that does not reflect on its own mistakes.

Cai was expelled after a leaked audio apparently revealed that she made some very harsh comments about Xi and warned that tensions between China and other countries would not ease if he remains in power.

Cai, who now lives in the United States, said she was also accused of, among other things, publicly opposing the national security law introduced in Hong Kong.

The expelled party member said she had been closely following developments in the SAR since last year’s anti-government protest.

Cai said the national security law controversy has a direct impact on politics in China and the rest of the world.

She said she respects Hong Kong people's fight to safeguard their rights and freedoms, and hopes they will persevere in this difficult time.

In a scathing attack on Xi, she said the Communist Party she'd served for most of her life no longer tolerates different views, and is unable to reflect on – or correct – its own mistakes.

Instead, she said it took up the “despicable” practice of punishing those who have opposite views.

“Over the past few years, there has been this trend. You are allowed to criticise the Communist Party, but you cannot criticise Xi…. It is a political party which cannot accommodate, or reasonably and calmly deal with different views among itself.”

“Every piece of advice is treated as attack from the enemy. It often says you’ve been ‘used by the external forces’ to cause serious and adverse influence.”

The 68-year-old scholar – an expert on ideology of former party leaders – said she will not return to China for fear of being detained.

She said she believes President Xi wants to hijack the views of 90 million party members, that he demands their absolute loyalty and turns them into what she described as “political zombies” who do not have independent thinking.